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Response to Chief Medical Officer comments on the possibility of a sugar tax

6 March 2014

AB Sugar is supportive of measures that help people better manage their diet and address some of the key health concerns in the UK such as obesity.

However, obesity is a complex issue and a result of many different lifestyle factors - there is no silver bullet to solving this problem.

There is no conclusive evidence that a sugar tax would have the desired effect on consumer behaviour and lead people to make the right decisions about their health and diet.

In fact, Government figures show that there has actually been a reduction of almost 12%* in total sugar consumption in the UK over the last decade. 

We believe instead that the public would benefit from a better overall understanding of what constitutes a healthy, balanced diet by providing them with accurate information based on facts and science.

Richard Pike 
Managing Director, British Sugar

 *Annual statistics about food and drink purchases in the UK (DEFRA) https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-food-statistics